NCDC records 829 Lassa fever cases as death toll hits 160

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 160 people have died of Lassa fever in 2022.

The agency disclosed this in its latest Lassa fever situation report.

According to the NCDC, in the reporting week, June 27 to July 3, nine confirmed cases were reported from Ondo, Edo, and Benue states.

It said from the beginning of the year, 5,510 suspected cases of Lassa fever were reported across the country, of which 829 were confirmed positive in 24 states.

The states that have reported cases in 2022 include Ondo (243), Edo (208), Bauchi (117), Kogi (46), Ebonyi (40), Benue (35), Taraba (34), Gombe (24), Oyo (21), Enugu (20), Nasarawa (11), Plateau (9), Kaduna (4), Anambra (3), Delta (3), FCT (2), Cross River (2), Adamawa (1), Niger (1), Kebbi (1), Lagos (1), Kano (1), Katsina (1), and Rivers (1).

“Cumulatively from week 1 to week 26, 2022, 160 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 19.3% which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (20.0%),” the report reads.

“In total for 2022, 24 States have recorded at least one confirmed case across 98 Local Government Areas.

“Of all confirmed cases, 68% are from Ondo (29%), Edo (25%), and Bauchi (14%) States.

“The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (Range: 1 to 90 years, Median Age: 30 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.8.

“The number of suspected cases has increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021

“No new Healthcare worker affected in the reporting week 26.”